Heel trimming machine



H. LYON HEEL TRIMMING MACHINE June 23, 1936.

FildAug. l, 1933 2 `Sheeds-Sheei'. 1

June 23, 1936. H. LYON HEEL TRIMMING MACHINE Fiied Aug. 1, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l rl Patented June 23, 1936 PATENT OFFICE HEEL TRIMMING MACHINE Harry Lyon, Brockton,

Finisher, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts Mass., assigner to Heel Mass., a corporation of Application August 1, 1933, Serial No. 683,151

18 Claims.

The present invention relates to machines vfor cutting finished heels, ready for application to shoes, from heel blanks. It is primarily concerned with such finishing of heel blanks built up of lifts of leather-board and the like, although not limited tothat type of heel. j

The finishing of leather-board heels has been diiiicult and expensive heretofore on account of the diiiiculty of cutting this material. Leatherboard is essentially a paper-like product, made of disintegrated fibers deposited in a sheet from suspension in water. It is tough and difiicult to cut, but at the same time tears more readily than natural leather and other materials suitable for the manufacture of heels in which the fibers are embedded in and bonded together by cementitious substances. On account of this liability to tear when acted upon by a cutter with the force necessary to drive the cutter through the material, it has not been commercially feasible to trim leather-board heels to finished form, either on or off the shoe, by the methods of cutting and types of cutter commonly used for shaping heels. Consequently at the present time, leather-board has been largely superseded in heel making by other materials which can be more readily and cleanly cut by a knife revolving rapidly in tangential relation to the perimeter of the heel.

It has been my object to develop a means and procedure by which heel blanks built up of leather-board lifts may be cut and trimmed to the contour prescribed by conventional styles, before application to the shoe, with a smooth and clean finish, without tears or nicks, and without leaving ragged fibers or feathers protruding from any of the edges; and to do this rapidly in a single operation. In carrying out this object I have provided a revolving cutter, and means for so pre-v senting the heel blank to the cutter that the cutting action takes place in the direction of the length or height of the heel rather than circumferentialy; together with means for effecting such a relative traverse and shifting between the heel and the cutter as to generate the desired circumferential and lengthwise curvature in the back and sides of the finished heel. I have further devised a novel means for supporting the circumference of the heel at the edge where the cutter passes away from the heel, in a yielding manner so that this edge is cut cleanly without leaving a fringe or so-called feather edge of limp fibers to be subsequently trimmed off.

The invention consists in the machine and its essential parts, hereinafter described, by which the foregoing and related objects are accomplished. It further consists in the fundamental principles of the means embodied in such machine, and in equivalent variations embodying the same principles.

Referring to the drawings,-

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the specific machine above referred to, showing the heel holder in the position which presents the back of the heel to the cutter;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine as seen from the right of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the essential parts oi' the machine as seen from the point of view of Fig. 2, but with the heel carrier turned to present the side of the heel to the cutter;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2 and shown on a larger scale;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the displacing cam which causes the heel to be shifted lengthwise with respect to the cutter;

Fig. 6 is a detail elevation of the cutter;

Fig. I is a horizontal section taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 1, on a larger scale, showing in plan view the guiding cams which determine the outline of the heel;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. '7 but showing such cams in the position which they occupy prior to the commencement of a cutting operation;

Fig. 9 is a lplan view of the lower supporting clamp for the heel blank;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view of the heel in the course of being cut by a keenly sharpened and accurately adjusted knife;

Fig, 11 is a view similar to Fig. 10 showing how. lacking the edge supporting means which constitutes one phase of the invention, a feather is left at the edge of the heel by a knifevwhich has lost its first keen edge;

Fig. 12 is a similar view showing the mode of action of that feature of the invention which consists in means to support the edge of the heel so that the last bers at such edge will be cleanly cut oi;

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a trimmed heel showing the characteristic feather edgewhich is left in the absence of the resilient supporting means last described;

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a characteristie heel cut with the aid of such supporting means;

Fig. 15 is a perspective view of the supporting means by which the edge of the heel where the cutter leaves it is cut cleanly;

Fig. 16 is a diagrammatic view showing in outline different positions to the cutter.

Like reference characters designate the same parts wherever they appear in all the figures.

The heel beingv cut is designated a, and the cutter consists of a rotatable head l1 carrying two knives or blades I8, I8. 'I'he cutter head is secured to a shaft I9 mounted in alined bearings 20, 20 of a bracket 2| on top of a column 22 or other suitable base structure, and driven by a pulley 23. 'I'he heel is clamped in a carrier or jack 24, between a fixed supporting plate and bottom clamp 25 and a movable clamp 26 on a plunger '21 which is fitted to slide in a guideway 28 of the jack and carries a rack 29 (Fig. 4) in mesh with a pinion 36 on a transverse shaft 3| which turns in a bearing 32 in the jack and is equipped with an operating lever arm 33 carrying a handle 34 on its outer end.

'This machine is organized to hold the heel upright with its larger end, (the end which seats against the heel part of the shoe when applied to the shoe), lowermost and resting on the clamp plate 25, and its smaller end uppermost and pressed upon by the movable clamp 26. For the convenience of this description I will designate these ends of the heel as respectively the seating end and the tread end.- The cutter head is mounted with its axis horizontal and rotates in the direction which brings the cutting edge of each knife into contact with the heel at the tread end thereof and causes it to traverse the heel from the tread toward the seating end, and to leave at the seating end.

The jack or carrier 24 is secured on the upper end of an upright shaft 35 which is confined at its lower end in a hole or socket in a bracket 36 protruding from the side of the column 22. An annular cam 3l having an axially offset face 38 is supported on the bracket and surrounds the of the heel with respect shaft. A stud 39 protrudes from the side of thev shaft and carries an anti-friction roll 40 which rests on the face of the cam and supports the entire weight of the shaft and jack.

The base of the bracket 2| which supports the cutter head has a ledge 4| equipped with a guide 442 on its under side to which is fitted a slide 43 carrying two depending roller studs 44 and 45. An adjusting'screw 46 carrying a crank 41 rotates in a lug 48 depending from the ledge 4|, and iits in a tapped lug 49 depending from the slide 43, whereby the studs 44 and 45 may be adjusted in or out with respect to the orbit of the knife edges. Cams 5|) and 5| are secured to shaft 35 and bear at their circumferences on the studs 44 and 45 respectively, the cam 5| being below the stud 44 and free to pass under it without interference. A cord or equivalent flexible tension member 52 is swiveled to the shaft 35 by a ring or collar 53 and is led away from the shaft over a guide pulley 54, and from its lower end a weight 56 is hung. The weight exerts a pull on the shaft in a direction more or less nearly perpendicular to the line of centers of the studs 44 and 45; and said studs are so located that the line in which this pull is exerted extends between them, while at the same time the width of the space between the studs is less than the shortest distance from the'edge of cam 50 at one side of the shaft to the edge of cam 5| at the opposite side. Thus the cams are held rmly against -the studs but cannot pass between them.

'Ihe cams 50 and 5| cooperate with the studs or cam abutments 44 and 45 to guide the heel carrier, when rotated, in a the orbit of the knife path with respect to edges, which will cause generation of the desired outline of the heel. As the supporting shaft 35 is loosely supported in its turn on the bracket 36 it is free to move not 5 only rotafably,but with displacement bodily in any manner required by the cams.

gauge 51 locate the heel bla and the cam outlin A breast is mounted on the clamp plate 25 to nk when applied to the jack, es are designed with reference to the position of this gauge, to the positions of the abutment studs 44 and 45, and to the prescribed heel outline, so as to give lateral movements to the heel carrier in directions and amounts suitable for the purpose. With different relationships between the breast gauge and abutment studs than those indicated in these drawings, and for heels of specifically different out- 50 fro lines, the cams varied in shape and 5| may be considerably m the shapes depicted in Figs. 20

7 and 8. One feature of the cam 5|, which may be contained in an y corresponding cam of whatever specific outline, is a recess 58 deep enough and of such dimensions as to receive the stud 45 and cooperate therewith for holding the 25 cam, and all the parts which are connected therewith, lin the position shown in Fig. 8. This is the position which presentsthe corner between the breast and one side of the heel, specifically the corner designated b in Figs. 13, 14 and 16, to 30 rthe cutter, and is the position of rest when the machine is not being operated.A Under the stress applied by the Weight the walls of this recess are drawn forcibly tremity 59 of cam though the force against stud 45 while the ex- 50 bears on the stud 44'. Althus applied strongly resists displacement of the work holder from the position indicated, it can be overcome by the muscular force of the operator exerted by swinging the holder bodily away from the a heel blank to be finished heel.

cutter for applying 45 trimmed and removing a It will be appreciated from the foregoing that the handle 34 application for th and releasing the may serve as the point of force ree functions, i. e., clamping 50 heel, withdrawal of the work holder from the cutter to permit heel placement and removal, and with the cams 50 a spective abutments, to generate the outline of the rotation of the Work holder nd 5| in contact with their reheel. 'I'he action of these cams causes the heel to be traversed past the orbit of the cutter knives in such manner that the finished outline of the heel, in any of its positions of rotation is tangent to the path in which the edges of the knives 60 travel, as is indicated by the diagram in Fig. 16,

and a point c on each ished outline. Cutting b of the heel and ends When thelatter point is reached, a stop shoulder knife edge gives the fincommences at the corner at the corner d (Fig. 16).

60 of cam 5| comes against the abutment 45 and resists further rotation with sufficient force to notify the operato can'ied far enough.

sidered as finished,

r that the traverse has been 'I'he heel can then be con- 70 and removed; but as the car rier is best returned to starting position before commencement of trimming another heel, it is preferably so returned by reverse rotation, with the trimmed heel s till in place and the cams still 75 tent, and slopes 31d and 31e leading from the two high points to the low point or low dwell. These parts ef the cam are so related to the are of rotation.' of the heel, and to the relative positions in space of the cutter axis and heel clamps, that when either side of the heel is next to the knife orbit, the roll 40 is supported by one or the other of the high points and the heel is located with its upper end slightly above the cutter axis, but its major portion is below such axis, as indicated by' the broken line` of Fig. 3; and when the back of the heel is next to such orbit the roll rests on the low part of the cam and the heel is lowered until all of it is below the cutter axis, as indicated by the broken line y-y in Fig. 2. Thereby the heel is cut with steep slopes and a relatively slight flare from the tread to the seating end, at the sides, and with a substantially less steep slope and greater flare at the back, as demanded in heels of the styles which this machine is adapted to produce. The cam slopes 31d and 31e cause the slope at the sides to be merged gradually with the slope at the back of the heel. Considerable variation in the contours so generated may be effected by locating the cam 31 at a higher or lower level, and by adjusting the cutter knives to revolve in an orbit of larger or smaller diameter, with corresponding adjustment of the cam abutments by means of screw 46. It will be noted from Figs. 2, 3 and 6 that the knives are secured by bolts 6I to tangential flat sides of the head I1 and that these bolts pass through a slot 62 in the knife, which permits adjustment of the knife with its edge at a greater or less distance from the axis. Moreover, the cutter head may be readily removed from the protruding end of the shaft I9 on which 'it is secured, and replaced by cutter assemblages of substantially larger or smaller diameter than that shown here.

By virtue of the travel of the knife lengthwise of the heel from the tread end toward the seating end, so that it cuts crosswise of the component lifts, and in a path divergent from the axis of these lifts as it leaves the heel, it is able to cut cleanly and smoothly without gouging in or tearing the material, even when the heel lifts are made of leather-board. I have found that great difficulty is encountered in cutting leather-board heels by a knife traveling in a plane transverse to the laxis of the heel owing to the liability of the knife to pull and tear out a fragment of the material instead of cutting it, whereby the heel is made ragged and uneven in spots instead of being smoothly cut. This difficulty is entirely avoided by the method of cutting here employed. This mode of cutting also avoids leaving any uncut fibers or feather edge at the intersection of the breast of the heel with the side faces, and makes these corners sharp and clean cut.

However, it has given rise to another problem, that of avoiding a fin or fringe at the circumference of the seating face of the heel, such as is indicated at e in Fig. 13. If the knives are sharpened to the greatest possible keenness and adjusted, together with the cam abutments, so that their edges pass the rim of the bottom clamp plate 25 without appreciable clearance, a very few heels (hardly ever more than two or three at most withonesharpening and adjustment) may be cut without leaving any uncut fibers at the rim. But leather-board always contains more or less gritty material which rapidly dulls the knives, even those made of high speed steel. As soon as the rst extreme keenness of the knife is lost enough clearance develops between its edge and the clamp plate to leave a fin or fringe. Nor is it possible to make such an adjustment between the knife and the clamp plate as to cause these members to shear the edge fibers, because when the knife is adjusted to the plate without any clearance, it strikes the edge of the plate in its orbital rotation owing probably to deflection caused by the resistance of the heel material. I prefer to make the plate of a soft metal or alloy, such, for instance, as aluminum, in order that it will not injure the knife if struck by it, but ,may be itself shaped. by the knife to the outline of the heel. Hence, if the knife strikes it in such circumstances, it is cut away, and clearance develops which causes the next heel to have a fin at some part, if not all, of its edge.

If the plate were made of metal too hard to be cut by the knife, the cutting edge of the latter would be destroyed by so striking.

I have found, in short, that when the heel blanks are supported directly on the bottom clamp plate it is necessary to resharpen the knives, or to readjust the work holder to the knives, or to do both, after cutting every heel or every second heel, in order to avoid any fin or uncut fibers at the edge where the cutter leaves the heel. Such a procedure is prohibitive to the commercial production of heels, and its avoidance presented the most difficult and baffling problem of all those encountered in developing the invention.

I eventually solved this last problem by laying a sheet of paper, designated 6B in Figs. l2 and l5, on the supporting plate25 beneath the heel blank, and by providing a clearance between the knife and plate enough to avoid contact, but

less than the thickness of the paper. A clearance of only'a few thousandths of an inch is sufficient to avoid striking, and paper of any thickness greater than the clearance, whatever such clearance may be and whatever may be the texture or density of the paper, suffices to cause removal of the iin, provided only the paper extends outto the rim of the supporting plate at all sides.

In practice I take a sheet or fragment of pa- 5" per of any size or shape which has one straight edge and is large enough to cover the entire surface of the plate, with more or less overlap at the edges, and I lay such sheet or fabric on the plate with its straight edge against the face of the breast gauge, which space is represented by broken lines in Fig. 9 as being undercut below theA convex face 66 of such gauge which engages the breast of the heel. Thereafter, when a heel is placed on top of the paper and pressed down by the top clamp, pointed pins 61 which project frorn the plate are forced through the paper and retain it in place for use with a succession of other heel blanks. When now the heel is traversed past the cutter, so much of the thickoff the feather from all the plate by ferred to.

The paper seems to act as a cushion or resilient support for the fibers at the extreme edge of the heel, holding these fibers up to the knife, without clearance, so that they are cleanly cut olf at all points. It effects this result even when the knife edge is appreciably dull, as dull as it is made by cutting several hundreds of heels. After once being trimmed to the shape of the heel, the paper is not further cut by the knife so long as it remains in the same position on the plate, even though used in cutting many heels in succession. But a fresh paper may be used with each new heel blank if desired.

With the use of resilient cushions such as typified by the paper sheet described, I have been able to cut hundreds of heels in succession without resharpening the knife or readjusting the clearance betweenfthe knife and the heel supporting plate. In fact with the use of knives of hard steel, the edge after losing its first keenness is further dulled only slightly and slowly, so that it remains serviceable when resharpened only at long intervals. But it continues to cut heels supported by the resilient cushion as long as it is sharp enough to out through the heel substance without excessive consumption of power.

While I have named paper as the substance for the resilient edge support or cushion or bed, I wish to make it understood that I do not limit this phase of my invention to paper only, but include within the scope of protection which I claim for it all substances and materials which are equivalent to paper in the sense of capability for performing the function and serving the purpose above described.

Heel blanks which have been compressed are cutby this machine, usually after their breast faces have been cut or trimmed. Hence the breast gauge shown in these drawings is represented as having a convex face 66 complemental to a certain heel breast curvature. 'Ihis procedure is preferable to that of cutting the breast after trimming in this machine, because it results in leaving the corners between the breast and sides sharper and cleaner. But the other procedure may be used if desired. f

Heel blanks built up of lifts and compressed,

the amount of the clearance reare usually so compressed as to leave a distinct in Figs. 10, 11 and 12. On

concavity, known as a cup, in the seating face. Such a cup is indicated by the concavity at 69 the other hand, the top face of the supporting plate is plane, or at least less convex than the concavity of the cup. The rim only of the cup then bears on the plate, and the pressure exerted in clamping the heel causes the rim to be spread out slightly. Then, after cutting and release of the heel from the clamps, the resilience of the heel causes its previously expanded rim portion to contract and produces a slight but distinct convexity adjacent to the rim all around the heel. This convexity is indicated at the points f and g in Fig. 14. Although it does not appear in other parts of this figure, owing to the nature of the drawsubstantially uniform ings, it actually exists in' height throughout the circumference. It is a feature of decided advantage in making a neat junction between the heel and the adjacent heel part of the shoe to which it is secured. This effect is produced as well when the paper cushionI is between the plate and the heel, as when tthe heel bears directly on-the metal plate.

outiine, and means It will be appreciated that in designingvthe machine so that the heel carrier and the axis of the heel being cut are substantially vertical, rather than horizontal or inclined (the cutter being arranged on a horizontal axis), I have considered simplicity and practical convenience rather than compelling necessity. That is, within the general principles of the invention, the carrier might be horizontal or inclined, or inverted from the position shown, provided only the cutter is correspondingly mounted to turn on an axis transverse to the height of the heel and to travel in such direction that the path of the cutting edge or edges is from the tread end toward the seating end of the heel and thence away from the heel.

The cutter assemblage may have any number of knives or cutting edges from one to as many as there isroom for in the circumference of the cutter head, and the cutting edges need not be straight and parallel with the axis but may be convex, concave with a radius longer than the longest radius of any part of the heel outline, or inclined. Owing to the character of the guiding cams, the same point of the cutting edges, such as that indicated at c in Fig. 16, gives the final and finishing cut to all parts of the heel; and the outline of the edge at either side of this point is determined by the proportional parts of the cutting duty which the designer desires to impose on the finishing point and other parts of the edge.

What I claim is: e

1. A heel trimming machine comprising a rotatable cutter, a carrier adapted to grip and hold a heel with the axis thereof tangent to a circumference concentric with the cutter axis and with its seating end displaced from a plane including the axis of the cutter and perpendicular to the heel axis in the direction travelled by the cutting edge after crossing such plane, said carrier being mounted with provision for rotation about the heel axis and for displacement bodily in directions both lengthwise of and transverse to such axis, guiding means for causing the carrier to approach and recede from the cutter in the course of 4its rotation, in such measure as to cause the heel to be generated with a prescribed for displacing the carrier axially in the course of such rotation.

2. A heel trimming machine as set forth in claim 1, in which the guiding means comprise cam elements associated with the heel carrier and relatively stationary abutments cooperating therewith, combined with means for adjusting said abutments transversely to the rotational axis of the cutter.

3. A heel trimming machine comprising a base structure, a cutter base structure,

from the cutter axis in a manner permitting angular movement in all directions about such point of connection, said carrier having heel blank clamping means beside the orbit of revolution of the cutting edge of the cutter, said clamping means being organized to hold a heel blank with its axis transverse to the axis of the cutter, a plurality of cam elements coaxial with said heel clamping means, and cam abutments supported on the base structure, one abutment arranged to engage each said cam elements having outlines conjugate to the prescribed outline oi.'y the finished heel in such manner as .to cause such outlines in the heel cam element exclusively;

blank to traverse the orbit of a given point in the cutting edge when the holder is rotated about the axis of the heel blank.

4. A heel cutting machine as set forth in claim 3, including cam means arranged to react between the heel carrier and the base structure to effect displacement of the carrier axially of the heel in the course of its rotation.

5. A heel cutting machine as set forth in claim 3, in which the respective cam abutments are spaced apart from one another, combined with means for exerting force yieldingly on the heel carrier in a line between said abutments and in a direction such as to hold the cams against the abutments with capability of displacement away from them.

6. A heel cutting machine as set forth in claim 3 and comprising further means for adjusting said abutments in a direction transverse to the axis of the cutter.

'7. A heel cutting machine comprising a support, a cutter head mounted to rotate about a horizontal axis on said support and having a cutting edge at its circumference, a heel blank carrier comprising a shaft mounted on -said support at a point below the cutter axis with capability for rotary movement about its own axis and for angular displacement in all directions, heel clamping means on said carrier organized and located to secure a heel blank with its axis transverse to the axis of the cutter and with the major part of its length at one side of the horizontal plane of the cutter axis, namely, the side toward which the cutting edge travels after crossing such plane, and complemental guide elements mounted on said carrier and support respectively, organized to compel such lateral displacements of the carrier in course of its rotation as will cause generation of a predetermined outline in the heel blank supported by the carrier.

8. A heel trimming machine as set forth in claim 7 in which the mounting for the carrier shaft consists of an annular cam surrounding the lower part of said shaft, and a cam follower protruding from the shaft and resting on the face of the cam, said cam face being offset in a manner to cause displacements of the carrier in opposite directions axially of the heel in the course of rotation of the carrier.

9. In a machine of the character described, a heel carrier rotatably mounted with capability for movement bodily in directions transverse to its axis of rotation, cam means secured to said carrier, complemental abutments to cooperate with said cam means in guiding the carrier when rotated, said abutments being spaced apart from one another by a distance less than the shortest distance between diametrically opposite points on the cam surfaces, and a yielding force applying means coupled with said carrier to exert force in a line substantially radial to the axis of rotation of the carrier extending between the abutments; whereby the cam surfaces are maintained against the abutments with capability for movement away therefrom.

10. In a heel cutting machine as set forth in claim 9, provisions forming a part of said cam elements organized to cooperate with one of the abutments under the force application of said force applying means to maintain the heel carrier in a given position of rest.

11. In a heel cutting machine as set forth in claim 9, a shoulder forming part of said cam means organized to engage one of the abutments and serve as a stop to obstruct the rotation of the carrier.

12. In a heel cutting machine of the character described, a rotatably mounted cutter, a heel carrier arranged to rotate about an axis transverse to that of the cutter and with provision for movement bodily both radially and longitudinally of the cutter axis, a cam secured to said carrier and a relatively stationary abutment therefor organized to eect movement of the carrier in and out with respect to the cutter axis-and a second cam secured to the carrier and an abutment complemental thereto organized to cause movement of the carrier bodily in directions parallel to the cutter axis, said cams and abutments cooperating together to move the carrier so that a given point in the cutting edge of the cutter traces the outline of a prescribed heel around the rotational axis of the carrier.

13. In a heel cutting machine as set forth in claim 12, one of said cams having a notch adapted to receive its complemental abutment when the carrier is in the normal position for commencing the generation of a heel.

14. A heel cutting machine comprising complemental clamps adapted to bear against respectively the tread end and the seating end of a heel blank, the clamp which engages such seating an-d having an outline approximating the outline of the finished heel at that end, a cutter rotatably mounted to carry its cutting edge in a path traveling from the tread end clamp toward the seating end clamp, and a yielding resilient bed between the space occupied by such a heel blank and the contact face of the seating end clamp for holding the bers at the rim of the heel up to the cutting edge.

15. A machine for cutting nished heels from blanks of leather-board and like materials which comprises a rotatable cutter having a lateral or circumferential cutting edge, a heel holder having clamps arranged to grip the opposite ends of a heel blank and hold the same with its axis transverse to the axis of the cutter and its circumference intersecting the orbit of said cutting edge, that clamp at the end of the heel where the cutting action terminates having an outline approximating that prescribed for the finished heel at the adjacent end thereof, guiding means for maintaining a clearance between said clamp and the orbit of the cutting edge, and a yieldable bed for the heel between the heel and said last named clamp extending across the clearance between said clamp and orbit and having strength suicient to support the fibers at the rim of the heel against the cutting edge.

16. In a heel cutting machine, means for holding a heel blank up to the orbit of a revolving cutting edge with its axis transverse to the axis of revolution of such edge; said means including a yieldable support for that rim of the heel at which the cutting action ends, which support combines sufcient resistance to hold the ultimate bers of the heel rim up to the cutting edge and sufficient yielding quality to avoid being cut back by the cutting edge.

17. In a heel cutting machine of the character described, a revoluble cutter, a heel holder having clamps organized to present a heel blank to the cutter with the axis of the blank transverse to the axis of revolution of the cutter and with its side intersecting the orbit of the cutting edge thereof, means for guiding the holder to traverse the back and sides of the heel blank across the orbit of the cutting edge in a path generating a prescribed outline in the heel, said holder including a supporting plate for that end of the heel at which the cutting edge leaves the heel having an outline approximating that of the iinished heel but at all times spaced far enough from the cutting edge to avoid contact therewith, and a paper bed interposed between said plate and the adjacent edge of the heel and projecting from the periphery of the plate a distance equal to the clearance between the latter and the orbit of the cutting edge.

18. The method of cutting a compressed and cupped'heel blank which consists in clamping such heel blank between complemental clamping members, one of which has a face of less convexity than the concavity of said cup and engages the cup end -of the blank, clamping the heel blank against such plate with force suiiicient to expand resiliently the rim of the cup, trimming the circumference ofthe heel by a revolving cutting edge traveling lengthwise of the heel blank from its tread end toward and away from the cup en d, whereby upon release of the heel and contraction oi its spread rim, the external outline adjacent to said rim acquires a convex contour in the direction 'of the height of the heel.

HARRY LYON.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,045,329. June 23, 195e.

HARRY LYON.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 5, second column, line v229, claim 14, for "and" read end; and that the said Letters Patent Should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed' and sealedthis 15th day of September, A'.. D. 1956.

Henryvan Arsdale (Seal) Acting Commissioner o'f Patents. 

